Abstract

As the study of exoplanets, planets not in our solar system, has developed, new observational constraints have illuminated the formation and evolution of planetary systems. Among these observations, the true distributions of planetary mass, radius, and density are at the forefront. NASA's Kepler Space Telescope has provided an enormous wealth of data on the exoplanet radius distribution as well as a significant fraction of mass measurements through the detection of planet-planet dynamical interactions. The best method for studying these exoplanetary systems is with a photodynamical model which combines an n-body integrator with lightcurve model to generate synthetic lightcurves. To support photodynamical modeling, we have utilized the PhotoDynamical Multiplanet Model (PhoDyMM) which combines a photodynamical model with a Differential Evolution Markov Chain Monte Carlo (DEMCMC) algorithm for Bayesian parameter inference. PhoDyMM can easily work with arbitrary Kepler systems, enabling the self-consistent analysis of all Kepler systems of multiple exoplanets (multis). Using PhoDyMM, we construct converged posterior distributions for all of the physical and orbital parameters for 661 out of the 719 Kepler multis. This catalog of planetary parameters is known as the Kepler Multis Dynamical Catalog (KMDC) and is the largest, most complete database of planetary parameters to date. Due to its homogeneous construction, the KMDC can readily allow for the extension from studying a single system to accessing trends across the population of Kepler multis. One such analysis that we perform is applying an interior modeling software to a subset of 830 planets across 465 systems. This software is able to construct posterior distributions for a four component interior consisting of an H/He atmosphere, water/ice layer, silicate mantle, and iron core. The results of which were then able to show the probable compositional distribution for a considerable subpopulation of the Kepler multis and support current theories such as the cause of the Kepler Radius Gap. Finally, we also demonstrate that by requiring stable configurations of exoplanetary systems, it is possible to further constrain the physical and orbital parameters of the Kepler multis which can therefore enhance the values given in the KMDC.

Degree

PhD

College and Department

Physics and Astronomy; Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/